This subject will be brought up at the meeting of the Natural 

 History Society on December 3d, when times will be appointed 

 for a series of demonstrations and talks on the subject. 



LIBRARY NEWS 



The last issue of the Bulletin contained an historical sketch 

 of the Museum Library and an announcement of the opening of 

 a public reading room on October 31st. This was the occasion 

 of such gratifying evidence of public interest in the new museum 

 that some account of it may well be given here. 



With the assistance of ladies interested in the Museum and 

 firms in the city, a silver tea was given during the formal open- 

 ing of the library. This emphasized the social aspect of the 

 occasion and yielded a profit of over fifty dollars for further 

 equipment. The attendance of over five hundred people and 

 their expression of interest in this, the first department to be 

 installed in the new building, is a gratifying evidence of public 

 appreciation. Many children were present, who devoted them- 

 selves with avidity to the enjoyment of the books and magazines, 

 quite oblivious of the older people about. We hope they will 

 feel that the reading room belongs to them and are encouraged 

 to think that this will be the case by the fact that seventy five 

 readers were counted on the following Saturday when the read- 

 ing room was regularly open for the first time. 



In addition to the assistance received in preparing for the for- 

 mal opening of the library the Museum takes pleasure in acknow- 

 ledging the presentation to the reading room by Mrs. Henry S. 

 Holmes of Charleston, of three handsomely framed Audubon 

 plates. These are lithographic copies made in 18G0 from the 

 original prints, the copper plates having been destroyed by fire. 

 These plates now fill spaces on the walls of the reading room for 



which no provision had been made. It is especially approjiriate 



61 



